Sterling shouldn’t have to pay steep price

Let me see if I’ve got this straight: Voters in Rutland and Paxton basically tell the Wachusett Regional School District to pound sand with regard to their assessments, so the superintendent responds with a belt-tightening plan that includes canning the principal at Sterling’s Chocksett Middle School.

Is that the gist of it? Brilliant. I’m surprised Mr. [Superintendent Thomas] Pandiscio’s alleged solution didn’t include arming every household in Rutland and Paxton with iPads as a reward for their fealty.

Why in the world should Sterling residents be expected to pay the price for Rutland and Paxton’s fiscal restraint? If voters in those towns want to go rogue, that’s their prerogative. But if budget cuts need to be made as a result, those towns should bear the brunt of them. The district shouldn’t be trying to balance its budget on the backs of students from Sterling, Holden and Princeton.

Perhaps most troubling are the school committee members who purport to represent Sterling, Holden and Princeton going along with this budgetary shell game. Kudos to the three who had the backbone to vote against it.